International Yoga Day

21 June has been declared International Yoga Day by the UN, with the support of South Africa and 176 other countries. I have been practicing yoga for more than half of my life and taught classes to children for a number of years. I have also volunteered at Project Playground but probably the most challenging was teaching yoga at a shelter for women and children. I learned much there...

Tucked away at the end of a cul-de-sac in a quiet suburb in Cape Town is an unremarkable house which offers shelter to abused women and children. There are no signs to tell you what place this is. It is a small organisation offering shelter to 28 persons. I used to run a weekly breathing and relaxation class. Usually there were about 6 women but this varied from week to week, depending on whether they had gone back home, found a job or moved on from the shelter. The amount of complaining and cursing that was done because they were so stiff makes me hesitate to call it a yoga session! 

For many of these women, this was the first time they had ever done any ‘exercise” and this, coupled with the fact that there was so much tension sitting in those bodies because of all they had been through,  made it unbelievably difficult to stretch. However, the relaxation session was eagerly awaited by all. It was often noisy in the shelter and the room we used was close to the kitchen but I think that it created a valuable opportunity to learn to practice these skills in all conditions. It was highly unlikely that they would have a quiet little studio somewhere!

The sessions started with basic asanas (postures) and incorporated breathing exercises. At least a third of the class was dedicated to guided relaxation to music. Different visualisation techniques and the contract-relax methods were used. 

I have made some interesting observations during the classes. One is the difficulty the women have with any asana that requires any “force” e.g. when doing cleansing breaths they are unable to force the air out of the body. It is as if they have learned to suppress thoughts, actions and emotions. They were generally very passive and seemed to wait to “receive” what I had to offer them each week.  I noticed that they did not even offer to assist with putting out mats and were generally not ready for the class even though they knew when I was coming. It was as if they needed to be “led” into the session.

I had wondered about the effectiveness of what I was doing, but one morning I overheard one of the women (who happened to be the most vocal complainer) explain to a newcomer how important this session had become in her week. She said that it was the only time that was solely hers, when she was not expected to give anything to anyone. 

I have learned to be patient and tolerant. I have learned that it is not what I can do to help but what they need from me that is important. I have learned that it is the process that is important and not necessarily the end-product. I have learned that sometimes the only way to do something is to go with the flow. I have learned to work with what is given to me and in the place that it is given. And I am trying to be as flexible in my mind and attitude as the yoga I do aims for.

The first principle of yoga is to do no harm and this applies to your own body as well as to others. Yoga teaches you to treat your body with compassion and to work within your own boundaries. Yoga is not a competition. You are asked to not compare yourself to anyone else in the classroom. Your focus is on what you can do on your mat. Yoga emphasises that what you are, where you are, is good enough for today.

And your body is the harp of your soul, and it is yours to bring forth sweet music from it, or confused sounds. Khalil Gibran 

You might also like: Becoming Humble: Lessons teaching yoga in a township hall
Photo of Melissa Brake of YogaWay Pilates and Yoga Studio taken by me

Heavenly Massage

I am drifting off far away. Thoughts of a to-do list enter my mind and then float away as if they are getting the message: “do not disturb”. Something heavenly is happening on my forehead – it feels like someone is very gently stroking my hair, soothing my forehead and inviting me into a state of pure bliss.

Before that my body had been rhythmically stroked with warm oil by two pairs of hands, working in perfect synchronisation. Then I had been covered with a towel and a mask placed over my eyes.  A steady stream of warm oil was slowly trickled over my forehead and allowed to run through my hair.

I was being treated to an Abhydara massage, a combination of Abhyanga and Shirodhara. The treatments are part of Ayurvedic treatment. Ayurveda is the 5 000 year-old Indian holistic healing system which literally means “the science of life”. Body, mind and soul are treated to bring about a state of health and wellbeing.

Ayurveda encompasses diet, yoga, meditation and breathing. And then there is the massage...Abhyanga and Shirodhara are just two of the techniques. Abhyanga is designed to release toxins and improve circulation and is done by two people working in together on your body, covering it from toe to head. Shirodhara involves the pouring of a continuous stream of oil on the forehead. It is useful for insomnia, anxiety. It induces a feeling of deep relaxation.

The treatment had started with a short prayer, my feet were bathed and then my head and neck massaged before I was laid down onto the bed for the full body massage. At the end of the treatment, I was invited to “take steam”. This was followed by a shower using a mixture made with chickpea flour to absorb some of the oil. As I patted my skin dry, I felt like I had been massaged inside and out.  

Afterwards, I was left alone to sip my ginger tea and bask in the afterglow of the treatment. I could get used to this...

Like Coming Home

This morning when I got on the mat, it felt like coming home. For the last two weeks, I have been paddling furiously to keep up with all the end-of-year goings on.  It hasn’t helped that there was no routine with schools as well as the yoga studios I attend, all closed. My body has been protesting the absence of a good stretch and the grounding it gets from a regular practice. The little I have been doing by myself at home has not been focused enough for real satisfaction.

All the rushing around culminated in getting onto a plane to Mauritius, not a moment too soon.  The rush to the airport included a stop at my daughter’s school to get her exam results – more of that later...And so I woke up in paradise and took myself off to a yoga class. As I sat down, breathed in and settled down, I felt a sigh escape my body. It really was like coming home. I allowed the sing-song voice of the yogi to guide me through the familiar postures my body knows so well - though not without muscles protesting from disuse and abuse. Yes, even two weeks can make you lose it. It was a pure Hatha yoga class which took me right back to my roots in the Ananda Kutir ashram.

A gentle breeze was blowing in from the ocean and the sounds of birds singing and frogs croaking, was all the music we needed. As we chanted “Om Shanti” to end the class, I was at peace. 

Yoga Lent comes to an end

This morning I did the last class of my 30 day Yoga Challenge. I feel a little sad that it is all over but happy that I have completed it. I feel stronger, more focussed and my body is thanking me for the detox that went along with the yoga.  I am proud to have risen to the challenge, to have dragged my body through the “mud” to show up on the mat and I’m humbled by the many friends who have supported me.

Over the last month I have attended classes by 13 different teachers, been to class morning, noon and night, and experienced Vinyasa Flows, Ashtanga, Pilates Fusion and Hatha Yoga – it has been a veritable smorgasbord from which I have been fortunate to sample.

It feels like each muscle in my body has been acknowledged, and those that complained have been soothed. This last week I have felt so good – full of energy and in that ‘golden space of yoga’ as Melissa calls it. I have been a good enough advert that at least three people are ready to join in next year!

Like many challenges, it seems that it has come to an end so quickly, after the slow grind to the top of the hill or the halfway mark. But once you crest the hill, it’s freewheeling all the way down and you feel the wind in your hair and the smile on your face. 

“For in truth it is life which gives unto life - while you, who deem yourself a giver, are but a witness.”

                                                                                                                                  Kahlil Gibran 

Almost There - proving our identities

30 days, 30 yogis and 30 sponsors...that was the plan...all very rounded and neat.

But this challenge has taken on a life of its own and has flowed out of any boundaries we may have set. There are certainly more than 30 yogis, some have joined in later and will continue for longer, others have to make up time afterwards due to hectic schedules. Some have been doing yoga in weird and wonderful places.  And many people have way more than 30 sponsors which means we are going to be raising more money for Home from Home than planned.

By all accounts, it has been a hectic journey for many. This morning someone cursed as she unrolled her mat, but she showed up and was a much nicer person at the end. Someone injured her foot on a hike and is now doing a Pilates Challenge instead. And yesterday, I overheard someone say that she was so full of aches and pains but reluctant to say so “because everyone else is lying around looking so happy!”

The challenge has been exactly that – ‘a demanding task or situation, a call to someone to take part in a contest, invite someone to do something difficult’ and I like this one: ‘to call on someone to prove their identity’ (Oxford Dictionary). The contest has been within ourselves, testing the boundaries but at the same time learning to respect our bodies. And I think we have learned more about who we are over the last few weeks than we may think.

This last week I have felt full of the joys of yoga. Something has shifted and the challenge has gone from being hard work to providing a deep sense of satisfaction. It truly has been a gift to me too.

Melissa in the warrior pose
We're all feeling like warriors right now

Day 21: the home stretch

I feel full of the joys of yoga today!  At the end of the class this morning, everyone was beaming and wanting to know when we could do it again. I felt this urge to hand out hugs to all.

I haven’t written a blog about the yoga since day 15 – I was a little shell-shocked about still being so achy and tired last week.  I had to pay the chiropractor and the massage therapist a visit and it felt a little like I was being held together. I have never done such an intensive practice before – and I have only come lately to the style of yoga we are doing.

But today it feels like something magical happened. Perhaps it was all the postures for opening of the heart area we did. Or perhaps it was the music which we encouraged to focus on and use rather than have it provide the background to the practice. Perhaps it was this unassuming man in his grey tracksuit pants and white T-shirt (no vest showing off rippling muscles) who introduced himself to each one with a handshake before he placed us into a circle.

We floated and flowed to the music, tuning in to the rhythm of the breath, so close to each other that we often touched, but each one in their own space. At the end we drew right into ourselves with knees onto forehead in a shoulder stand and glided down into a resting place. Bliss!

If you see someone doing a Charlie Chaplin-type jump in the air  –  look closely, it’s probably me.

Day 15 - halfway there!

Day 15 and halfway there! I can feel my body getting stronger and twice I checked my watch at the end of a class, not believing that the time had gone so quickly. I have 30 sponsors and so now I just have to keep going in honour of all the support.

It has been quite a journey so far. And as I look back over the last two weeks, I recognise the different stages of the journey. There was the enthusiastic beginning. Then moving through resistance and struggle when my body seemed to be in rebellion and for good measure threw a bad cold at me to cope with.

And now here I am in this sweet place, wondering whether I could actually get addicted to all this. I have a sore wrist right now which is serving to remind me to listen to my body and to be true to myself. Yoga is such a personal process, not about impressing anyone – it’s between me and my body. 

Day Nine - Look how far I've come!

Yesterday I was feeling like wounded-man-walking. The night before, I swear that my joints were communicating with each other in some kind of painful Morse code – throb-throb, throb-throb-throb.  Over the weekend we were invited to “the dance between yes and no” – ‘no’ postures close up the body and ‘yes’ postures open up the body to feel joy. It’s all about attitude – posturing yourself the right way; a bit like “fake it till you make it”. The next day I was on the mat opening up my heart to love. All the talk about love and joy distracted me from the hard work – so I was a little surprised that I was so achy. I was glad of the more gentle Hatha class I did yesterday morning.

The great thing about this challenge is the exposure to different teachers. Although I think I am pretty much at the stage where I know who and what I like, it is nice to have a change and get an injection of a fresh point of view.

Last night I was feeling like I was about to succumb to the flu or something so I got into a hot mustard bath and dosed myself with Vitamin C. I still a felt a little delicate this morning but I took myself off to class this morning (showing up on the mat) and I am glad I did. It’s a matter of keeping your eye on the ball, having the end in sight and riding out the rough patches.

This morning I looked back between my legs when I pushed into child’s pose. The sun had made a pattern on my mat as it shone through the shutters. It looked like I was standing on a ladder. It occurred to me that I could either choose to see this journey as: “Yikes! What a long way still to go up!” or as: “Wow! Look how far I have come!” 

Yoga Lent Day 5

This morning I felt like I was moving through mud! My body seemed to not want to take direction from my brain. As I pushed back into downward dog, I wondered what it would be like if my arms and legs simply collapsed and I landed, “splat!” onto the mat. No chance of that though with my new, earth-friendly rubber mat, which made sure that I was going nowhere!

As the class progressed, I could feel myself yielding, and allowing my body to flow through the postures it knows so well.  I think that is part of the journey, pushing through the resistance and onto the other side.

This afternoon I curled up into a little spot of sunshine on the couch of my bedroom and drifted off into a delicious little snooze. As I woke, I twitched my limbs and felt out the muscles which seem to be asserting themselves. All I can think of is that it is going to get better. I just have to show up on the mat.  

Yoga Lent Update

So, it’s day Four of Yoga Lent and 30 days is seeming like a looong time! Today it felt like more of an effort to get to class. Some creaks and cracks have shown themselves this week, in spite of me upping the yoga to four times a week during the last two weeks in preparation for the challenge.

Yesterday I was so tired it felt like I was dragging my body around. All I could think about was how long it was till I could go to bed. I had this slight headache just above my eyes, like my eyebrows had suddenly become heavy ... hmm, maybe I have been fooling myself about how much coffee I drink.

On the plus side though, I feel slightly leaner since I am not eating wheat and I swear my body is already starting to feel toned (even though I can’t see anything – maybe it’s just waking up). I have been detox-ing my environment as well and rearranged and cleaned a few cupboards and shelves. I have been writing quite a bit, and feel like my focus is turning inwards. I am excited at the idea of a stronger body in a more peaceful space. I connected with a varsity friend, who I have not seen for many years. She has been having a tough time – it made me feel thankful for my life. 

Let the Yoga Challenge Begin

I have psyched myself up, gotten some support (not too late to still sponsor me) and have drunk my last cup of coffee. A few years ago I did a 30-day detox program and it was recommended that you see the programme as a gift to yourself. I started it a month before my birthday so that I could finish on the big day. I felt fantastic - it did feel like I had given myself a huge gift.

Anyway I have decided to see this yoga challenge as my time out, a detox, a present to myself and to six children who need a home.

So if you want to do likewise, a word or two about the detox: The benefit of doing a detox for longer than thirty days is that you are more likely to carry on with it (it takes about 3 weeks to learn a new habit). We pack so much junk into our bodies that it is always good to have a little time out even if we don’t carry on with it afterwards.

So here are some tips I have picked up along the way:

·         Drink lots of water – our water is amongst the best in the world, so open the tap and fill up.

·         Eliminate tea and coffee – replace with herbal teas, fresh juices, hot water with lemon (I add ginger, lavender, mint, a cinnamon stick – whatever is around – to make a fusion in a jug and sip from it all day).

·         Eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables – soup and fruit salads are great. Now may be a good time to sign up for that organic veggie box (hint, hint)

·         Cut out meat, especially red meat. If you must, eat skinless chicken. Fish is fine.

·         Cut out wheat and wheat products.

·         Replace dairy with alternative products (goat’s milk, soya, etc)

·         To supplement the detox, Epsom salts baths are great every few days. A real treat would be a massage to get the circulation going, and to flush out all those toxins.

And then yoga, yoga, yoga - all the breathing, exercise and relaxation is perfect for detox-ing. Then visualise all those toxins leaving the body. I dare you to feel wonderful!

Now I feel like I should put a health warning on this blog. “Consult your doctor before starting this program!”

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY AND PRACTISE AHIMSA

Yoga Lent

It's one week before "Yoga Lent", as my daughter has dubbed it after hearing that Melissa was giving up chocolate. During class this morning I did wonder what I was letting myself in for. I wondered how my body would be feeling after 30 days of moving from warrior poses to balancing like dancers, and from aeroplane to triangle poses. But then we relaxed into corpse pose and all the endorphins went whizzing around my body. I sighed as I settled into that happy space that comes at the end of a yoga class. 

So just in case it is sounding like I will be having too much pleasure, I have decided that I am giving up coffee for Yoga Lent. I don't drink a lot of coffee but it is a small pleasure that I indulge in. I have become quite the "coffee  snob" and will rather stay without it than drink a cup that is not up to standard. I also like the image of me sitting in coffee shops with my laptop or notebook (in the old-fashioned sense of the word), being creative. I will have to replace the flat whites with a pot of Rooibos for August.  

So now there is no going back. Will keep you posted about my caffeine-free journey to centred, serene togetherness!

Yoga Challenge: feeling good, doing good

I have committed to a 30 day Yoga Challenge. Starting 1 August,  I will be doing yoga everyday for 30 days.  I need to find 30 people who will each sponsor me R100 so that at the end of it I will have raised R3 000 for a project called Home from Home. The aim is to get 30 people to do the challenge and to raise R90 000 towards the project. This will be enough to  care for a family of six children in a community-based foster home for a year. Home from Home has 21 such homes and this will be for number 22! 

The challenge is the bright idea of friends Melissa Brake, the owner of YogaWay Studio, and Pippa Shaper, the  Managing Trustee of Home from Home.

Initially, the idea was rather daunting (will I have enough time, where will I get 30 sponsors...), but the more I thought about it (and the more Melissa twisted my arm), the more attractive it became. I am picturing my new centred, together self at the end of August serenely handing over the money - how's that for a win-win situation - feeling good and doing good. And there will be 29 other centred, together people serenely doing the same. Hey! Imagine if more people did this.... we'll all be feeling good, doing good...or you could just sponsor me, please!

Pippa and Melissa in the YogaWay Studio

Photography and Yoga

I am still smarting from my less than perfect matric dance photo session. I now have new respect for wedding photographers. It cannot be an easy task to deal with family and friends brandishing cellphones and cameras, telling your subject to look this way and that. I was completely overwhelmed and suddenly had ten thumbs when it came to operating my camera and deciding on lighting, apertures and shutter speeds!

However, I had such fun taking photos for the course last week that I thought I would post a few. The subject was willing, the serene environment conducive and I could combine two interests. The dappled, late afternoon light was a bit of a challenge but I think I managed to get some good results. 

  

           


Many of the students on the course seem to have a passion (architecture, child portraits, food, shoes or nightclub photography, and so on) and I think I may have found mine. Melissa patiently posed for me. You can learn more about her yoga studio by clicking here yogaway.

Dinner invite for one

I have been to three social functions on my own in the last ten days.  I am not sure how this has happened since I would normally choose to decline rather than go alone. My husband being away provides the perfect excuse. However, the Inyathelo Philanthropy Awards, held last week, is an annual function I enjoy going to, and, on Friday night, a close friend was hosting a charity table. So I did want to go, although that awkwardness of arriving and not seeing anyone that I knew, was evident on both occasions. 


This evening's function however, purely social, I sort of got talked into and before I knew it I received an email about how nice it would be to have me. As the week progressed I found myself making a hair appointment and thinking about what to wear, alternating with what am I letting myself in for? However, by yesterday I had decided to keep an open mind and go with the flow. If nothing else, I would have a story to tell. Last week I noted that "So, do you work?" has changed to "What industry are you in?" Although that conversation progressed pleasantly enough. It seems yoga has become rather popular recently.  


I love to people-watch, so actually going to a function is not all effort. Last night there was plenty to watch. Like the little Asian man who was wearing the brightest green jacket that I have ever seen -  as if he was trying his utmost to make up for his size and be noticed. There was also the unlikely blonde, surely surgically-enhanced, who when introduced to a tall Xhosa gentleman, let out a string of isi-Xhosa. It was delightful to see the connection it immediately made. He leaned in closer and a for a few moments spoke animatedly. The conversation continued in English but had been lit by the spark of that connection. It reminded me of a quote by Nelson Mandela, "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart."  Also another reminder not to put people into boxes!


Our hosts were a lovely couple who have raised truly international children - speaking six or seven languages between them and mixing as many cultures with their choice of partners! Their two children are now on opposite ends of the planet while they will be here for the next while.  


I sat next to a very charming gentleman from Portugal, who told me that if you needed to find your daughter a husband the best place to do so would be to send her to hotel school in Switzerland! Apparently there are many unions between hotel students. Not unlike medical school, which has the same phenomenon for many of the same reasons. When you work so hard and such odd hours, you need a partner who will understand what you are going through. 


The restaurant was casually elegant and the food good - not "child portions arranged by an interior designer", as one guest at the table observed.  Although I could have foregone all just for the most sublime chocolate dessert! I had a pleasant evening and met some interesting people. Sometimes you just need to go with the flow. Or maybe it doesn't matter so much anymore what people think. 

Becoming humble: Lessons teaching yoga in a township hall

We are in a big dusty hall. African drums are beating outside and I am trying to get a group of 12 year olds to zip their mouths and eyes and be quiet. I put the music louder in an attempt to drown out the outside noise. Someone shouts through the slit in the door and they all jump up as I try to see what is going on. There is no way to do this quietly - I have to wriggle the chair out of the door handle and then push the door open. There is a little boy standing there pointing to the culprit, who has run away. 

Back to the class. The little boy they call Beyonce has completely lost focus. It has been difficult to begin with - I am not sure why he wants to do yoga - he bounces around all over the mat, and off the mat and I despair of getting him to focus. He talks to the girls on either side of him. They complain and I remind him that if he doesn't want to be there, he should leave.

They lie down again and expectantly wait for me to come around and adjust them. I have a little pot of lavender and peppermint cream which I rub onto their foreheads. I hope the effect is going to be worth the distraction of them wondering what it is I am doing.

For five whole minutes, they manage to sink into a quiet space. Even Beyonce has pulled it together and is still. Two of them have fallen fast asleep and I gently wake them before the others shake them less gently. As I pack up, the manager asks me how it went. "I am sure I have a few more grey hairs," I tell him. He leans closer as if to check this. "Hmm," he says. "I can see they are making you humble."

Once a week I have the privilege of introducing yoga to a group of children at Project Playground in the township of Langa. I feel that I am learning as much as they are. At every turn I am challenged to re-think my idea of a yoga class. Some sessions have had more than 18 children,with some crying outside to be given a chance to participate. During one session food was being served from the kitchen at the back of the hall - the staff in the kitchen was carrying on a conversation as loudly as they could. We have a bit of a language barrier, but it generally works well with me demonstrating, although they all jump up when I get up to come round and check their postures. So I have to make sure that they know that I am getting up but expect them to carry on.

But if yoga is about finding your focus and accessing that inner peace, then my challenge here is to help them to do just that in the spaces that they find themselves in. For many of them that space is even more chaotic than the solid structure that is the hall we are able to  use. For a short while they are able to access that quiet place and I hope that they have realised that each one of them possesses the ability to make themselves feel good.

My reward is seeing them relax so deeply at the end of the session that they fall asleep in spite of the drums, the shouting, the distractions.  I am humbled. 

A Place to Play

I am getting involved with a project that aims to get kids off the street and give them a space to have fun, relax, be kids, be safe, exercise, channel energy, offer an alternative to the temptation of falling in with the wrong crowd, a place to hang out when there is nowhere else to go. It is really exciting and apart from the yoga class I will be teaching, there will be a dance teacher, and a hockey and soccer coach. It is going to be wonderful - there is such a need for a project like this in Langa. (Go see for yourself at Project Playground. 

We have the use of a large hall as well as another smaller room and a small outside area. There is a very nice soccer and hockey field around the corner from the project. It would be perfect if the field was made available to them in the afternoons. 

Sounds wonderful, doesn't it - a great project for all the right reasons and the facilities to make it happen. Here's the thing though -  the fields cannot be used because they need to be protected during the week to save the grass so that it can be used on the weekends for matches only.  So where are the kids who play matches practising? On the streets and anywhere else they can find space. Apparently people even try to break into the field to play! Langa could be harbouring the next generation of Bafana Bafana players and yet someone has come up with rules like these. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot!

Our project co-coordinator, Frida, had a meeting with the board (of the soccer section only - she has to have another meeting with another board re the hockey field) and pointed out the folly of this arrangement (her petite status belies a fierce determination to get this project off the ground). So we now await the decision of the council. In the meantime, I am thinking of practising my toyi-toyi!